


Five Meetings MACUSA Agent Sanderson did not want to sit in on and One Meeting he was glad he did.

by quicksylver28



Series: A Lion and Two Snakes walk into a bar and save the bloody World [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Civil War Team Iron Man, Consequences, Gen, Humor, Mind Control, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, not wanda maximoff friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2020-10-01 16:49:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20341267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quicksylver28/pseuds/quicksylver28
Summary: Agent Sanderson's POV of a series of meetings dealing with Wanda Maximoff AKA the Scarlet Bitch. Spin off the Here There Be Dragons and the Conversation between Percy and Wendy at the Pho Restaurant.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had the idea of an Agent Sanderson Story being the vehicle of dealing with the Wanda situation. please be advised, I despise MCU Wanda and will probably die mad about it. how they handled her character was a fucking tragedy and i'm still carrying feelings from all that. 
> 
> If you are an MCU Wanda fan, please be forewarned.

1.

Magical and Social Assimilation Division  
MACUSA  
Algonquin Ford Building

The fucking meeting was fucking scheduled for fucking eight o clock in the fucking morning and Sanderson was already fucking tired, fed up and ready to hex someone’s ass to fucking hell and back. Fuck this fucking shit.

He tapped his foot against the tiled floor impatiently as the shitty coffee machine dripped his third coffee into the flimsy little paper cup. He’d forgotten his oversized travel mug that morning in his rush to make it to work on time, barely having a moment to shower and shave before throwing on his long coat and disappearing with the crack of apparition. Not time to even stop at his favourite coffee shop and get himself topped up on the fru fru sugary, caffeine heavy, frappamocalattechino concoction he was secretly addicted to and would never admit to on pain of death.

Breakfast had been a hastily eaten hotdog with mustard from the cart on the corner and the shitty bitter office brew but at least he was on time. Wendy had given him a slight nod of approval when he’d popped his head into her office and he’d felt a zing of pride. It wasn’t just anyone who could get him out of his bed and presentable before ten, much less into the office for a fucking inter-departmental meeting. No matter the important subject matter.

In fact it wasn’t just anyone who could command his respect, put up with his shit and have his back on the job like she did. Wendy was a good boss and knew just how to handle his ornery personality and sarcastic, near insubordinate ways, unlike most people he’d ever worked with. She also knew just how to put him in his place with a few words and a withering glare from her crystal clear eyes. He respected the hell out of her, which said something because few people in his life had ever earned his tolerance much less respect. As a witch. As a professional. As a friend. Wendy Higgs was an all-around person worth knowing.

The office was quiet around him, just a few early birds wandering in to titter over by the water cooler. In an hour or so, the place would be hopping with the clack of computer keys and the zipping of paper airplanes overhead. The Division of Magical and Social Assimilation or MASA as people ended up calling it, was like the Department of Muggle Affairs in England. But instead of trying to keep the muggles at arm’s length like they did, MASA worked on integrating magical life into muggle society, helping their magical citizens to hide in plain sight.

As the last drips of coffee fell into his cup, he flicked up the collar of his long coat, held the cup carefully with a napkin and made his way towards the small conference room. Wendy was already there with Yacob Beederman, Head of MASA, Travis Burns, the head of the Misuse and Abuse of Muggle Artifacts (MAMA) and Glory May Troswell, the head of the Magical Bureau of Investigation and law Enforcement (MoBILE). Burns was huffing as he flipped over page after page of Wendy’s report on Maximoff.

“… I can’t justify getting our department involved because these ‘infinity stones’ as you call them are not actually magical artifacts. They are receptacles of cosmic powers and therefore not our business. The muggles have already called dibs on it and frankly, I don’t see why we can’t just leave the whole mess to them.”

Beederman, who was cleaning his glasses as he leaned back in his creaky chair, gave Burns a flat look. “You just don’t want to have a hand in this in case it blows up do you? Not your circus, not your monkeys right?”

“Can you blame me?” Burns flushed but shrugged. “I mean, some random space rock capable of making people magical? Hard to believe. Some random space rock giving a muggle enhanced powers? That’s more believable. And as far as I’m concerned, artificially enhanced powers are someone else’s bag. The muggles have people dealing with that shit.”

Troswell slowly nodded. “I have to agree with Travis. If she was magical, she would fall under our jurisdiction but technically she’s not. She’s enhanced and there are people who already have the infrastructure in place deal with that. There’s SHIELD, or what’s left of it, the Avengers, Xavier with his mutants. Fuck, even the muggles have their own system of dealing with criminals and let’s not forget, even though the Maximoff woman is called ‘The Scarlet Witch’ she is in fact not an actual witch in any form or fashion.”

“The Scarlet fucking Witch.” Burns made a disgusted face. “That’s name going to come back and bite us in the ass I tell you. Talk about tarring everyone with one brush. More like the Scarlet Bitch!”

Beederman ran a hand though his wild hair. “Even if there was the possibility that she may be a squib in a long line of squibs as Wendy postulated, and which I doubt very much; the fact of the matter was that she got her powers from a source of cosmic energy and we don’t really have a dog in that fight. Our magic is earth based and totally foreign to the powers that Maximoff acquired and has since abused.”

“I agree that she needs to be taken care of but I’m not sure that we are the ones to do it.” Troswell folded her arms across her chest and flipped her long silver streaked, braid over her shoulder. “Her reported crimes go back years and several different countries. This needs to be dealt with on an international level. Especially with her affiliation with HYDRA. That’s a whole other disgusting can of worms to open.”

She looked at Wendy, who’d been observing quietly at the end of table, her petite frame dwarfed even further by the large leather chair. “Have you considered going to the ICW? They have more clout when it comes to something like this.”

“I’ve already put out some feelers.” Wendy nodded curtly, closing her folder with a sharp snap. “…and have been granted an audience with the Grand Marshall herself. I just wanted to get your opinions on the matter before going that route. The Magical Secretary of State will also be there along with the head of the Unspeakables.”

“Damn, Higgs.” Burns murmured, “You are really going all the way with this aren’t you?”

  
Beederman scoffed loudly. “The woman used the equivalent to an unforgivable on muggles. Not just one but who knows how many. She’s a menace not only to those around her but she’s a threat to the wizarding world as a whole.”

He leaned forward and put both his elbows on the table. “The implications of this are far reaching. Can we afford to have this “Scarlet Witch” parade around as what people should expect of magical society? Her actions now will forever be a dark spot on our reputation as a society.”

Troswell sighed. “If we ever step out of hiding and into the public eyes, as unlikely as that may be, we can’t let her be the yard stick that we are all measured by. She is not the face of modern wizarding society and we can’t just sit back and let her muddy the waters.”

“You talk as if you want to step in and handle this.” Burns grunted at them both.

Troswell gave him a flat look. “Of course we all want to see this bitch gone but not a single one of us want to wade into that clusterfuck. I’m happy enough to see someone else take on this headache. Sorry Wendy.” She tilted her head at the other woman. “… but that’s a solid negative from MoBILE.”

“MASA is out as well.” Beederman shook his head. “The whole situation is radioactive. No thank you.”

“That’s a fuck no from me and MAMA.” Burns sneered. “I have enough on my plate already. Let the big dogs handle this one.”

Wendy nodded and the other left, leaving her and Sanderson in the empty room. He looked from where he had been playing Candy Crush on his phone to see her staring down at her report, a solemn look on her face. He’d been bored out of his mind for most of the meeting but had still paid close attention to the whining and bitching that had gone on around the table.

“What now, boss?”

The witch looked up at him, her white blonde hair curling around her cherubic face. She stood, gathering her papers, and stepped around the table. He quickly hopped to his feet and followed her through the halls to the floo access. It was only when they were back in her secure offices with some better coffee, did she speak.

“We are, as Bruns deduced, going to take this all the way.” She sipped slowly from her small cup. “I expected as much from this bunch. I just needed to feel them out before I went above their heads. Politics and all. The Maximoff case is going to be a headache and a half I can tell you now. I saw it coming ever since the matter was brought to my attention.”

“Speaking of Red…“ Sanderson perked up. “He’s right in keeping Stark well away from this mess. Those Avenging idiots don’t deserve him.”

Wendy’s mouth quirked in amusement. “Is that genuine emotion for our resident genius billionaire philanthropist? Really Sandy, I didn’t think you cared.”

“The man’s practically a national icon.” He huffed and slumped back in his usual lazy sprawl, scowling deeply at the woman. He held up his smart new Stark Phone with its signed Iron Man cover. “Not to mention his tech is frikkin’ awesome. Besides, he’s a great way to get people accustomed to the amazing and extraordinary. Most new muggleborns and their parents are already familiar with him and it makes it easier for them to accept their own magic.”

“My word, Sandy, that’s very insightful of you.” Wendy’s pale blond eyebrow crept up her forehead. “And just how did you come across that information?”

“People talk. ” He shrugged. “Especially the ladies down in Magical Education. Skulk around enough and you hear all sorts of things. I make it my business to keep my ears to the ground around here.”

“Good to know.” She hummed and took a sip of her beverage. “I’m glad I have you around to be my eyes and ears, Agent Sanderson.”

“Thanks Boss. Glad to be of service” He gave her a small grin. “So… ICW is up next?”

She sighed heavily and puller her report closer. “Merlin help us, yes.”


	2. Chapter 2

2.

International Confederation of Wizards  
Magicis Cooperante Building  
Washington DC

The American branch of the International Confederation of Wizards was in Washington DC, an unplottable piece of land with a great view of the national mall and the Washington monument. 

Sanderson made sure to wear the better of his suits, even going so far as to have the old muggle lady down the hall run an iron on it the night before as his suit was one scourgify away from falling apart. It still hung oddly off of his frame but it didn’t look like he’d kept it crumpled up in the back of a closet for a year and his Boss was grateful for his effort.

With his ever present floor length, dark brown, long coat and his half chewed toothpick, he stalked his way through the pristine lobby, ignoring the eyes and whispers that followed. The colourful half-robes that were in fashion with the American Magical public was at peak saturation and he slipped on his dark glasses as to not have his eyes burn out at the riot of rainbow colours. 

Security took a minute to study his pass, looking him up and down with doubt until he growled, making them all jump and wave him through hastily. He was then quickly ushered to the elevators and whisked up to the top floors of the building. 

His boss was waiting in the offices main area, her slender form clad in sharp grey robes. Her white blonde hair was in an intricate bun, with burnished silver clips shaped like wings. She was at least a foot shorter than everyone around her but powerful presence that made everyone pale in comparison. 

He nodded at her as they all proceeded into the conference room, slipping in last and propped himself the corner wall behind her chair. The conference suite looked like something out of Stark tower and Sanderson found himself impressed at the sleek glass table and floor to ceiling windows. Not to mention the state of the art multimedia display against the opposite wall.

The crowd was a mixed bag but he recognized the US Grand Marshall Benigna De La Fuente with her round, pleasant face and sharp, dark eyes. She wore ever blooming red roses in her dark curly hair that matched her the curve of her red lips.

There was Head Unspeakable Guo Lian Guo, lurking like a shadow with their long flowing robes and charmed hood that hid the gender completely. Guo went by the Unspeakable name Sparrowhawk but Sanderson had worked with the man back in the day when they were both fresh faced and eager from graduating wizarding school. 

He knew that Guo would never come obliviate his ass because 1. He knew how to keep a goddamned secret and 2. The man was acutely aware that Sandy knew where too many bodies were buried and had fail safes in place in case he ever bit the big one prematurely. Besides, who would Guo go to when he wanted to get drunk and play poker when the nightmares got too loud?

The real surprises came with the other two people in the room. 

Magical Vice President Carlton Moore was a Politian through and through, young and handsome with his sharp suit, too white smile and coifed hair. He came across as a bit of a ditz to most people but he hadn’t clawed his way up to his current position on his good looks or his daddy’s money. He was shrewd behind those grey eyes and not someone to be trifled with.

The last and biggest surprise was the presence of Supreme Mugwump Babajide Akingbade. She was a regal woman, with her gold neck rings, her vibrant robes and silver hair shorn close to her skull. She had a sense of power and grace around her that made even him straighten up… for a while anyway.

Minutes in and Moore was already putting his hands up in surrender. “The Muggle President has already thrown in his lot with the avengers. He has a real hard on for Captain America and plans to ride that pony all the way to re-election. He’s not going to want the stir the waters over Cap’s little Sokovian turn coat.”

He gestured to the file on the table. “As long as she stays quiet and doesn’t cross any lines then he’s not going to make a move against her. He considers it the lesser of two evils.”

De La Fuente shook her head, “I checked over her immigration paperwork. She’s been shoe horned into the United States on a temporary work visa and there hasn’t been much push from the Avengers to make it permanent.” 

Her hands gestured in the air, her gold rings glittering in the light. 

“Sokovia is in the process of revoking her citizenship but they are keeping it a secret. I only found out from the representative from the Czech Republic let me in on it. They are washing their hands of her, quietly.”

“Even they don’t want anything to do with her.” Guo murmured, “I don’t blame them. She and her brother were formed out of the horror of civil war and the hatred of the man they thought responsible. By the time they joined HYDRA it was too late. “

He folded his hands across his stomach, tucking them in the folds of his sleeves.

“Gaining their powers, using them for evil. Joining up with a genocidal corrupt robot. They both fell a long time ago. The brother was the only one who actually followed unto death.”

“All that aside…” Akingbade finally spoke, her jewelry clinking musically. “We are not here to be judge and jury to the young woman in absentia. We are here to determine if we even have the jurisdiction to judge her.”

She glanced around the table, looking at them each in turn.

“The magical compendium defines a witch or wizard as someone who draws magic from their magical core, a gift granted to us by both Gaia, our Earth mother and Zir, father of all magic.”

“What about the muggles who draw from the earth’s power?” Moore frowned, tilting his head. “Or those ones who burn sage and do incantations? Or the people who draw from the elements?”

“Good question Carlton.” The Supreme Mugwump nodded gracefully at his interruption and he sat back with a flush of the cheeks. Sanderson hid a smile by ducking his head, feeling a bit like a chastised school boy himself in her esteemed prescience.

The older woman continued. “Good question. Those are Sorcerers, Wiccans and Elementals in that order.”

“Even the Sorcerer Supreme?” The Grand Marshall leaned forward, eager like a school girl herself. “I heard she uses cosmic forces in her use of magic.”

Akingbade smiled at the other woman. “The Sorcerer Supreme is a special case and has the requisite skills and experience to pull down cosmic energies for their use. Most other of their kind cannot accomplish this feat.”

“But we digress,“ She shook her head, “Maximoff does not fit into any of these criteria and as such, I do not see how we can justify judging her for whatever crimes she may have committed.“

“But what about her mind control?” De La Fuente huffed, “She’s out there practically using imperious on people. In fact, it’s some sort of weird and horrible conglomeration of Imperious, Cruciatus and the AK all in one for all the damage she’s done.”

She sat back in her chair with scowl, her rings rapping against the glass and she tapped her hand on the table. “Are we really going to sit back and do nothing while she runs around amongst the public? What if the next person she harms is a magical citizen? What will we tell our people then?”

“She has a point.” Moore conceded, “How will we explain it to the magical public when someone parading around as the Scarlet Witch does something irreparable and it is revealed that we did nothing?” 

“The same way we deal with it if one of our own is harmed by a mutant, a muggle, or even an enhanced human or an alien.” The older woman responded. “We cannot control the entire world… nor can we police it.” 

They all fell silent at that and Sanderson knew that they were done here. He glanced at his boss who looked back at him for a moment before turning back to the others. The conversation went in circles a few more times as bullshit usually does but the answer was clear. 

The ICW wasn’t going to wade into the Maximoff mess or the infinity stones situation any time soon. Not unless they had no other choice. Like end of the world type, we are all going to die type of choice. 

They all left soon after to go to some fancy smancy capitol restaurant for lunch, more bullshit and politics. He was happy to leave the boss to it, heading to a local whole in the wall with delicious quesadillas and great hot coffee. He even had time to stop in at a Starbucks for a milky, sugar laden latte which he drank, sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. 

He’d just finished slurping the last of the whipped cream from the bottom of his cup when Wendy sat beside him. She looked up at the clear blue sky and set a small take away box next to his leg. He picked up the box without a word and cracked it open. 

“Mmmm. Italian.” 

He murmured and dug in with the small plastic fork. They sat in silence, letting life flow around them as muggles and magicals alike wandered by. He finished off the pasta soon enough, stuffing the last meatball into his mouth whole and chewing noisily. 

He tucked both the empty box and the plastic cup into the pockets of his long coat, vowing to find a bin or just banish the garbage later. Wiping the corners of his mouth with a crumpled napkin, he turned to his boss.

“So… ICW’s out. What next? The muggles, the mutants or the monks?” He chuckled at his own dark humour when she gave him a look. 

She rolled her eyes and looked out unto the national mall. “I think we need to try a different approach this time. If we can’t pin her on her powers, maybe we can pin her for her crimes.”

Sanderson sucked a bit of food from his teeth and reached in his pocket to a toothpick. “The US won’t touch her. The UN can’t touch her. Sokovia wants to forget she exists. I’m thinking the International Criminal Court in Hague? Put her before the international war crimes tribunal?”

“Something like that.” Wendy smiled enigmatically. 

Sanderson looked down at his old, rumpled suit. 

“Dammit. I’m gonna have to get a better monkey suit than this old thing aren’t I?”

Wendy’s laugh echoed across the stone steps like the tinkle of fairy bells.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo. i kinda forgot that Americans use the terms no-maj but i already wrote two chapters. i will probably go back and edit but not right now. 
> 
> i'm so accustomed to writing in a British voice for Percy that it's weird trying not to use british terms and slang for Sanderson and Wendy.

3\.   
International Criminal Court ICC  
Hague  
The Netherlands

Agent Sanderson stood in the cafeteria of the ICC headquarters in Hague and stuffed the last bite of honey stroopwafel into his mouth, dusting the crumbs off the lapel of his new suit. He held his cup of coffee away from him as he did so as not to spill unto the expensive material. He didn’t want to ruin his fancy new suit after all. 

He’d actually forgotten all about getting one until the night before they were due to portkey to the Netherlands and he ended up texting the English Priss Himself for help well past midnight. Surprisingly, the redhead had shown up at his door within the hour, looking slick in his own suit with a garment bag draped over one hand and a shopping bag from an exclusive men’s wear store in the other.

Percy had stepped past him into the apartment without so much as a by your leave and frowned at the state of the place before dumping his goods unceremoniously on the only empty chair. He’d then made himself at home in the small kitchen, shrugging off his jacket and making coffee the no-maj way while shooing the older man towards his bedroom to try everything on. 

Grumbling mutinously, Sanderson did what he was told, glaring back at the redhead as he went, all the while clutching the packages to his chest. The suit fit well enough, with long sleek lines that made him seem taller and thinner than he was. The shoes were a bit tight but the younger man quickly taught him a sizing charm and the pain in his little toe eased considerably. The red head had then circled him slowly and tutted, pulling on the seams and collar deftly then stepping back to survey his handy work.

After nodding his approval, he’d sent the older man back to undress and curtly instructed him on the suit’s care while draining his coffee cup. Sanderson eventually mumbled a half-hearted thanks to which Percy just smirked and quipped that not everyone got to wear one of Tony Stark’s old castoffs and had slipped out the door while the agent had stood there gaping. 

After that he’d been extra careful with the clothes, handling them carefully and admiring himself in the mirror for far too long before rushing off to the office. By the time he’d made his way to his boss’ office, he’d been a bit off kilter at all the surprised, curious and appraising looks he’d been receiving. 

Wendy had just raised an eyebrow at his changed appearance and he’d found himself flushing under her assessing gaze. He still wore his good old long coat, though Wendy had charmed it a charcoal grey for him to match the pin stripe of the suit.

Being in such a purely no-maj place was always an experience. He couldn’t draw his wand or do any of the magical habits he’d cultivated through the years. It was like acting in a play though he had a lot of experience with it through the years. 

At least he knew how to blend in with the crowds. Even in her sharp dove grey pants suit and matching cape coat, her petite stature and elfin face set her apart from most others. Not to mention her white, wispy hair and crystal clear eyes. 

The international portkey deposited them to the main hall of the Instituut Voor Magische Vooruitgang (institute of Magical Advancement) near the Peace Palace and they took a short car ride to the ICC. There they met with representatives from all three branches of the Office of the Prosecutor. 

There was Rumiko Saito of japan from the Jurisdiction Department, Dorotėja Daina Jankauskas of Lithuania from the Investigation Division and finally James Stewart of Canada, Assistant Lead Prosecutor. Sanderson had stood back as they’d all shaken hands around the table and settled down to business.

“Frankly, I want Maximoff and all of her HYDRA Nazi buddies laid out one next to the other.” Stewart said curtly, leaning forward to put his elbows on the polished wooden table. His two other companions gave him startled looks at his bald words but he was unrepentant and seemed fed up of all the bullshit.

“Jurisdiction is a nightmare,” Saito admitted, “HYDRA is a secret organization with such far reaching influence, to try to pin them down by country could take years. Maximoff was based solely in Sokovia as far as we know but there’s no telling what crimes she may have committed or borders she may have crossed illegally.” 

“We’re not even sure what we would be able to charge her with.” Jankauskas hummed and flipped through Wendy’s report slowly. “She doesn’t exactly fit within the ICC’s structure of parameters for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, or aggression, unless we consider Hydra’s war on the world. Even then, we can’t just charge her singularly for their collected crimes, that would create a precedent that could come back to hurt us in the future.”

“It still confounds me how that young woman is not in jail already.” Stewart huffed a sharp discontent breath. “No matter how loud Captain Propaganda shouts to the sky that she’s ‘just a kid” and how she’s “been reformed”. I find it intolerable to have someone, who had hurt so many people, killed so many people; is walking around as free as a bird because she batted her big brown eyes at the nearest fool with a hero complex.”

“Why James, tell us how you really feel.” Saito smirked as Stewart flushed and gave a chuckle. 

“Feelings aside, my main concern is even if we managed to build a solid case against her, would we even be able to summon her to the court? And if we did succeed in sentencing her, would we then be able to safely restrain her?"

Jankauskas tapped the file against the table sharply.

“She is a very powerful individual, and there are eye witness reports of her mental instability. What is to stop her from lashing out at her guards or others around her? In some ways she could classify as a weapon of mass destruction but labelling her as such could affect how other superheroes are treated in the future. It’s a double edged sword. Especially with the accords document I've heard being floated around the back rooms.” 

“She’s made herself nigh untouchable under the Captain’s wing. And with him comes the rest of the Avengers.” Stewart curled his lip. “I’d be happy to pull them all before the court to answer for the way they’ve been all but invading foreign borders since Stark backed out of their little club. It’s like school yard American Imperialism.” 

“We are going to have to go over the Roman Statute with a fine tooth comb. We must have an air tight case before we can chance bringing it to the United Nations Security Council.“ Saito sat forward, glancing at Wendy before looking around at the others. “It may take months, even years before we can untangle this mess.”

“Shit.” Stewart slumped in his chair, looking defeated for a moment before he sat back up and took a deep breath. “At least we have something to build on. Stark has already pledged his full co-operation to any investigations and has already agreed to appear for any questions we may have. We can use the whole ULTRON situation to find out as much as we could about Maximoff and her past actions.” 

He looked over at the petite witch. “It’s not much now… but it is a start.” 

The meeting wrapped up soon after and Sanderson waited in the corner as the others made small talk and eventually left. He took the seat next to his boss as she pulled her papers together. 

“Well…” he grouched, “at least these ones are willing to go to bat for our cause. Even if they are just no-majs.”

Oh I don’t know.” The witch hummed softly, “No-majs can accomplish many things if enough of them come together. Technological advancement, the fight for freedom, even this very court and the United nations that govern it.” 

Yeah well, they also came together to hold the Salem Witch Trials as well so I’ll take my No-Majs with a pitch of caution thank you very much.” 

She chuffed a laugh and stood, the agent falling into step behind her as they left the room and took the elevator down to the cafeteria. They shared a small plastic table, cups of hot, sweet coffee and Dutch pastries between them. 

“So we’ve got the ICC in our corner, somewhat. Where to now boss?”

Wendy speared her chocolate profiterole somewhat viciously.   
“Now that there is some kind of plan for seeing her prosecuted for her crimes, we can concentrate on neutralizing her powers. It’s time to go see Xavier and his merry band of mutants.” 

Sanderson nodded and gave a small chuckle, plucking gingerly at the lapel of his ‘gently used, actually worn by Tony Fucking Stark, worth more than his annual salary, bespoke’ suit. 

“Good, their much more informal around there. All that leather. I can wear my old gear and fit right in.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah... real life took over the past few days and i'm finally sitting down to write.

4.  
Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters  
Westchester, New York

\------------------ 

It was good to be back in his good old long coat and off the rack threads. It felt like being back in his own skin and on his own turf. Not that wearing Tony Stark’s sweet duds wasn’t an experience and a half but much like eating rich and fatty foods, it was better to do so sparingly. 

The suit in question hung in the corner of his closet, carefully secured in its garment bag, the shoes wrapped in their monogrammed wrapping paper and tucked in their expensive looking box; all of which were layered under multiple sets of preservation and dust repellent charms.

The School for Gifted Youngsters was actually a large and stately mansion, set in the middle of idyllic gardens with lush green ivy covering most of the front walls. He could hear the distant sound of kids laughing but they saw none of the students as a young black woman with shockingly white hair and curious eyes led them to Xavier’s office. 

The inside of the building was all dark paneling and carved wood details, warm colours meshed perfectly with slick modern technology. Wendy greeted Charles Xavier with kisses to the cheeks which seemed to surprise both Sanderson and the other mutants in the room. 

“Hello Charles.” Wendy greeted, “It’s wonderful to see you again.”

“It’s been too long Wendy. Luxembourg isn’t the same without you at my side.” 

Xavier smiled warmly, gesturing towards the seating area wear coffee and tea were being served by a young, serious looking man with deep red shades covering all his eyes completely. 

A beautiful red haired woman sat next to him on the love seat and their dark skinned guide went to stand next to the far window beside a dangerous looking ruffian type who huffed and subtly made room for her. Sanderson recognized the man from his look alone. 

Logan aka Wolverine aka James Howlett, according to the Unspeakables Secret Files of which Guo had given him a peak in preparation for the visit. Seemingly un-aging, fast healing with a reinforced skeleton, knives in his hands and a prickly personality to match; Logan had been officially declared Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know by MACUSA from since all the way back during WWII. 

The young woman next to him was introduced as Storm, the red head as Jean Grey, the man with the shades as Scott. Sanderson found a perch against one of the other windows and settled in as his Boss made small talk with the others. Apparently they were waiting for one more member to arrive.

Sanderson blinked a few times in surprise as the large blue beast hulked into the room with a friendly smile filled with sharp fanged teeth. Xavier introduced him as Hank aka The Beast and the man… mutant… being…. settled down on a large cushioned ottoman and held himself to some tea. His eyes were sharp and shone with intelligence that belayed his brutish looking exterior and Sanderson found himself intrigued at how his large hands with sharp claws handled the delicate tea service.

He absently wondered how the mutant would fair amongst the eclectic mix of magical folk at the Battery Park enclave but tucked away the thought to pull out and examine for shits and giggles at a later date. He looked up and found the red head looking at him curiously and he quirked an eyebrow at her before re-enforcing his mental shields. 

She blinked in mild surprise before flushing and looking down at her cup. Xavier glanced between them both but amongst the others only Logan seemed to notice the little by-play. He frowned and shifted his stance threateningly by the window. Before things could get too awkward though, Xavier cleared his throat.

“I’ve read your report Wendy and I agree that the situation with young Miss Maximoff must be dealt with and without delay. The longer she goes without proper training for her powers, the more of a threat she poses to herself and to others.”

He set aside his cup. “That being said, my colleagues do have some reservations which they wish to address. I myself have some concerns as Miss Maximoff does not register within my psionic senses nor my equipment as a Mutant Proper. 

Hank piped up around a mouthful of biscotti. “In fact, her type of energy signature hardly registers on any of the tests we tried to run. It was only after reaching out to Dr. Stark that he shared the work he and Banner did during the invasion of New York and Loki’s sceptre. Passive data only of course. We’ve all read the ULTRON report put out by the UN Security Council.”

“My concern is that her presence could harmful to the other students. Some of the kids we host here are very young and especially vulnerable and they rely on us to keep them safe, both physically and mentally.” Scott fiddled with his crimson shades. “Contrary to what Captain America has to say on every other interview he gives, The Scarlet Witch is not just ‘some kid’ who needs help. She’s a twenty something year old woman who needs to learn how to control her powers ASAP.”

Jean gracefully tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear. “Soon after the whole Sokovia business, both Charles and I reached out to her mentally, trying feel her out as it were. To see if she would be amenable to getting some of the training that we are uniquely experienced in providing.”

Charles nodded along, “We were planning to propose a sort of exchange program with the Avengers. We would take in Miss Maximoff for a period of time and Storm would join the Avengers to provide the powerful air support they need now that Thor has gone back to Asgard. We were ready to set up a meeting with Maria Hill when…” 

He trailed off with a frown. Jean soon picked it back up, her slim shoulders shivering despite the warmth of the sunny day.   
“Her mind … was chaos.” She whispered despairingly, “Hatred and fear and so much rage. It felt….” Scott put an arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him. “It felt like boiling oil, bubbling and roiling and black as the deepest pit of hell. It burned to even get close.”

She reached out a hand and Xavier gently took it, the tender touch seeming to calm them both. The others were silent for a while, a pall coming over the room. Logan soon snorted and broke the dark mood. 

“Not to mention she’s a fucking Nazi. She volunteered to join HYDRA. Volunteered. Who the fuck does that? She and her twin brother joined ULTRON willingly and only changed sides when they realized that they were gonna bite the big one along with the rest of us meat bags on the planet.”

He growled, chewing on the end of his unlit cigar. 

“Rogers sees her as some kind of kindred spirit maybe, someone else who went through experiments that changed them. But as someone who had had that shit done to me, I know the difference in doing it and having it done to you. We don’t need that brand of crazy around here. We’ve got enough problems of our own.”

He turned to look at Xavier with a grin that looked a bit too much like the baring of teeth. “Not to mention what a certain metal bending, Jewish, Nazi Death Camp survivor with serious issues is gonna do when he hears we’ve decided to take in someone who was totally happy drinking the HYDRA kool-aid.”

Everyone one of the mutants made a face at the thought which Sanderson thought was hilarious and he had to duck his head and bit his lip to keep from chuckling. He had a good idea who they were thinking about and wouldn’t have minded being a fly on the wall for that confrontation.

“Ah… yes, well….” Xavier coughed but soon rallied, taking a deep breath and looking at Wendy with regret. “As much as I don’t mind lending my personal services in the effort to properly deal with Miss Maximoff; I cannot in good conscience allow her to be held at the school or among our student population, for their own safety and for hers.” 

He gave Wendy a sad smile. “I am sorry, my friend.”

“It’s perfectly fine, Charles. I know how it is when you have people under your protection.” The blonde replied, smiling back. “I may take you up on the personal assistance though, so be prepared for my call.”

The man nodded genially then frowned. “We must still be very careful in how we proceed. Though I do not condone stripping someone of their powers lightly, I have intimate knowledge of the dangers someone with uncontrollable abilities can unleash upon the world.”

He paused, as if to collect his thoughts. “That being said, even if it for the ‘greater good’ this is not a position that I can am willing to put my people in. the world is already wary of mutant kind as a whole and condoning the removal of someone’s powers is a slippery slope that can easily lead to disaster for all of our kind.”

Logan huffed. “What Chuck is trying to say is that we can help if help is needed but it ain’t our call to make nor is it our cross to bear. Someone else needs to take the lead in this and take the heat if it all goes ape-shit.”

“Geez, Logan.” Scott made a motion as if he were rolling his eyes behind his shades but Logan just curled a lip at the younger man.

“I’m just saying when you all are too polite to say. We don’t need people getting it into their heads that mutants are all for taking people’s powers away. We start to play judge and jury then others might decide to start playing it as well.”

“As blunt as he may be, Logan is right.“ Xavier nodded. “I must temper my actions on behalf of my people. I hope that you understand.”

Wendy nodded, her clear eyes full of compassion. “I understand perfectly.”

They make their goodbyes soon after, Storm seeing them once again to the large gates of the property. They stepped behind some trees and apparated, reappearing in Wendy’s office. 

He slumped in a chair while she straightened her desk, keeping his thoughts and observations to himself until she deemed it time to ask for them. He knew better than to rush her when she was thinking. Finally she leaned both her elbows unto the large desk and rested her pointy chin upon her fisted hands. 

He took that as a sign of her being ready to talk. “Where to next, boss?”

“Now that I’ve got all my little ducks in a row … it’s time to go after the big fish.” she mused pleasantly, “Next Stop, Bleecker Street.” 

“Thank Merlin there’s a Sanctum in New York.” He pulled out a toothpick and placed it between his teeth. “An international portkey to Tibet at this time of year? That would totally blow our travelling budget.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note: in my timeline it’s been almost a year after ULTRON and that falls somewhere within the time frame of Doctor Strange. 
> 
> That’s my story and I am sticking to it.

5\.   
Sanctum Sanctorum  
177A Bleeker Street,  
Greenwich Village, New York

\----------------------------- 

The large door opened before Wendy could even knock and that put Sanderson’s back up immediately, despite being magical himself and accustomed to seeing things move on their own. The open doorway seemed distinctly ominous and his hand twitched for the wand in its hidden sleeve holster almost against his will. 

A sharp look from his boss had him stopping and taking a deep breath and as he did the inhale exhale count, he forced his shoulders to relax. He was a veteran MACUSA agent, dammit, not some wet behind the ears rookie one jump away from hexing their own toes off. He’d faced a lot a weird shit in his career and this one just another in a long line of strange situations in which he found himself. 

This was a bit different though, the whole place felt different, the magic that drenched everything was odd and old and highly disconcerting to feel brushing against his own senses. He glanced up at the brownstone’s façade before peering once again into the darkness of the hall beyond the seemingly sentient door. A shudder went through him and he clenched his fists, willfully ignoring the growing need to pull his long coat tighter around him and pull his wand.

Wendy stepped through the doorway confidently and he inhaled sharply before following through behind her. He wasn’t about to let his Boss go in to such a place without having her back, no matter how much the place gave him the heebie geebies. 

It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the hall and he took a good look around, gaping a bit at the ancient artifacts stored in glass display cases around the large wood paneled entry way. 

“Is that the fucking Skull of Shŭŭkh the KinSlayer? Fucking hell.” He hissed at the blonde from the corner of his mouth as he stared in shock. The scorched and cracked skull was mounted expertly, still in its gigantic warped headpiece made from the human bones. “I thought it was stolen from the Mongolian Magical Repository when it was razed to the ground in 1329.” 

“It was…” A deep voice came from the top of the grand staircase, a tall figure in a long red cloak descending as he spoke, his face in shadow. “It popped up during a dark ritual in 1650 Boston and we’ve had it ever since.”

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Sanderson caught movement from the corner of his eye and he stepped closer to Wendy’s side, glaring at the bald man in monk’s robes who stepped silently out of one of the side doors. His wand had slipped easily into his hand but he didn’t raise it, leaving it hanging in his relaxed fingers. The monk just quirked an eyebrow before serenely continuing to step forward, soon reaching the taller man’s side.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had anyone from the Magical Congress of the United States pay a visit to the Sanctum Santorium. You made it clear the last time that you were not interested in our ‘silly no-maj stargazing’ and for us to keep our noses out of good wizard’s business.”

Sandy felt his eyes bulge at the frank words, but his Boss didn’t seem that surprised. She gave a small deprecating shrug and a rueful smile. 

“Well, considering the ‘last time’, as you called it, was in 1789; I’d like to believe that we’ve all come a long way since then.” She demurred, “I know for sure that for some of us at MACUSA, that isolationist mindset has changed. The world is getting smaller and smaller every day after all.” 

The bald man nodded sagely, his dark eyes sharp with intelligence. “Truly.” 

The tall man cleared his throat impatiently. He was attractive enough, full head of coifed black hair with white streaks at his temples. He was wearing some kind of monk’s get up as well, only in dark blue with gold trim. His long red cloak floated in non-existent breeze and made Sandy’s fingers tighten around his wand. 

“If you are both done reminiscing,” he drawled, crooking one sharp eyebrow that seemed to encompass them all as one single annoyance, “Perhaps we can get down to whatever business has brought you to dour domain.”

What a pompous asshole, Sanderson muttered in his own head as the monk coughed the word ‘rude’ harshly into his fist. The taller man, then introduced as Doctor Stephen Strange, newly minted Sorcerer Supreme, by the Monk, Wong; grudgingly showed them to the nearby seating area and encouraged them to sit. 

The small talk was awkward and uncomfortable while Wong prepared tea and Sanderson secretly wondered what the hell they were even doing here really. Surely this wasn’t the ace in the hole his boss was thinking of. When Wong returned and served them steaming tea with lemon, they finally got down to the brass tacks of it all.

“You say this Maximoff was given her powers by Loki’s scepter?” Strange leaned forward in his chair, his hands fisted in his lap before catching himself and leaning back into a nonchalant pose. “… and that as children both she and her late brother were experimented on by Hydra… “

“They volunteered for that… let’s not forget.” Sanderson found himself blurting out before flushing a deep red and ducking his head as his boss cut him a sharp look of reprimand.. “Sorry. It’s just a major contributing factor to the situation, that’s all.”   
“And you decided to come to us? Why? You always been determined to handle magical business ‘in house’ as it were. Your people certainly never showed any respect to the Sorcerers of the Kamar-Taj or to the title of Sorcerer Supreme. What makes you think that you can just bring this all to our door step now? Why the sudden change?”

The man was scowling now, his cloak whipping about behind him disconcertingly. Wendy however, was not perturbed by the man’s ire.   
“It is true that we’ve preferred to deal with situations privately and as such, have burned quite a few brides in the quest to maintain the secrecy of our society as a whole, “ she mused, twisting the tea cup in her delicate hands, “… But the world is changing, expanding. No-majs have become more aware of the supernatural and the pretur-natural alike. Our enemies have also grown and changed from what they once were.”

She set the cup down unto the small table. “It used to be that we had to contend with just Dark Lords and Ladies, magical wars over money, land and blood. Now we have enemies that seek to crush the world in their hands. To end all life on the planet. We have strange and unknown sources of powers coming in from the dark of the cosmos beyond our known existence.”

She gestured down to the blurry shot of Maximoff using her powers, a haze of red around her slim form, and met his look unblinkingly. “This magic wasn’t gifted to her by the Earth Mother or Father Magic, it didn’t come from a genetic mutation in her or some kind of human experimentation gone right or wrong. No, this was given to her by the deep and unfathomable cosmic energy from beyond the moon and the stars.”

“We are here because this is war of a higher form, Doctor Strange,” she intoned solemnly, “…and we can no longer fight it alone.” 

Both men sat in silence for a few terse seconds, their eyes glued to the papers spread before them. The silence was heavy, with only the soft whoosh whoosh of the cloak as it shifted and swayed. Sanderson could feel it like two hands on his shoulders, pressing gently, not enough to hurt but enough to keep him trapped in his seat.

The shadows around them seem to loom and retreat like living things and the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stood on end. He looked across as Wendy and took comfort in how as ease she looked, taking it as a confirmation to not freak out. His wand holster felt heaving on his arm and he took comfort in that as well. Just when the unease started rising in him again Wong spoke, breaking the heavy silence as he sat back and tucked his hands into his sleeves. 

“What is it that you are seeking for us to do exactly?”

Wendy blinked and turned to look at the bald man, “Sorcerer Supreme is the primary protector of Earth against magical and mystical threats, both earthly and cosmic. The Infinity stones fall under that category. The Space Stone Tesseract, the Mind Stone in Loki’s Sceptre… the Time Stone in your Eye of Agamotto.” 

Wong frowned deeply as Strange gasped, reaching up to touch the golden amulet before aborting the move. “What? How do you…?”

Wendy calmly tilted her head at the unfinished question, her crystal eyes clear and bright as she spoke softly. “There are a few of us in the wizarding world don’t stick our heads in the sand and pretend that nothing else matters. We keep tabs on what’s going on in the world around us and we have very long memories.” 

She reached into her bottomless bag and pulled out four thin files, placing them on the table one by one. “We’ve gone to the magicals, the mundanes and the mutants, all of them are willing to help but don’t have the actual authority to do so. You, the Sorcerer Supreme of the Planet Earth, are the only one who has the power and the right to decide on Miss Maximoff’s fate and to deal with the dangerous and chaotic power that writhes within for the protection herself, the people around her and the people of the planet in general.”

She tapped succinctly on the pile of folders with a sharp, expertly manicured nail.

“What I want you to do … Doctor Strange, is your job.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You would not believe how many times I tried to write this chapter. Geez. Finally I just said 'screw it' and wrote what I wanted. I think it came out well enough. i'm pretty happy with it. Hopefully you are too.
> 
> Enjoy.

He'd prepped for the meeting like he was gearing up for battle. His second best suit cleaned and pressed, starched white collar unbuttoned. No tie. Ugh. His long brown coat with pockets full of hidden goodies on loan from his Unspeakable colleagues. Dragon hide boots and bracers tucked discretely under his coat sleeves. Wand holster on his wrist and another at his ankle. 

He'd left his hair half combed and kept the stubble on his chin. Knowing full well that it made him look like a lay about. Good, he wanted to be underestimated going in. Let Wendy be the sharp one with her silver blond hair done up in neat war braids and her snappy white robes made from chic Opaleye dragonhide. Large silver hair clips that looked like ornate curved daggers adorned her head, cradling the back of her skull like some mystical fae crown. She also had a spare wand, a pouch of potions at her waist and slim, deadly looking blade sheathed in the elaborate patterns woven down her back.

They had a cup of the good MACUSA coffee and some warm pastries in her office before heading over to Strange's place, hers black and steaming hot with just a tip of raw honey while he all but drenched his in milk and sugar. He was sure that he would need the boost for the kind of day it was shaping up to be. They would meet up with the Sorcerer Supreme then portal over to the compound where Hill and Rhodes would be waiting on them. 

To say that both no-majs had been furious after their consultation with the monks had been and understatement. Sanderson himself hadn't been there in person but to hear his boss describe it, the Air Force Colonel had been most vociferous in his anger while Hill's rage and simmered cold and silent behind her eyes after Strange had bluntly told of the evidence of mental assault he'd found on their psyches. Luckily, the monks were willing to help them heal the damage done by Maximoff and had allowed for proper evidence to be taken for the eventual court case to be brought against the young woman. 

They were met at the compound by Xavier and Logan, rounding out their little group. Strange and his man, Wong started laying down runes and seals of protection around the room and its inhabitants. It went without saying that the Red Bitch wouldn't take the upcoming news well, much less the rest of the Avengers she had no doubt strung along like puppets on a string.

Meeting the being called Vision was a trip and a half. The mind stone glowing in his forehead throbbed along Sandy's magic like a soft undulating wave. It was like how being near strange felt, only more concentrated with a bit of a sharper edge. The Android itself was like a void in the fabric of magic itself, as if in opposition to life but not its absence. It made Sanderson twitchy and he found himself swallowing hard, his hands clenching unconsciously as Hill, Strange and Xavier tag teamed the Vision about Maximoff's transgressions.

Vision remained blank faced during the whole thing, sitting straight backed in his chair as he scrolled through the evidential reports and asked insightful questions. In the end he agreed to reserve both judgment and interference during the following confrontation with Maximoff herself. It was as good as Wendy and the others had hoped for. Having to face a wielder of one of the infinity stones as well as Maximoff was a complication none of them wanted.

Meeting the Avengers themselves was a bit of a letdown in itself. They'd traipsed into the room with cocky swagger, the blonde Captain leading the way, strutting to their seats as if they'd been the ones to call the meeting. Maximoff made a bee-line for Vision, snagging the chair closest to him and rolling over to hug his arm close to her chest; the very picture of a harmless waif. Too bad for her, her acting skills didn't quite reach her sharp eyes as she scanned the room expertly. 

Rogers loomed over the table, declining to take his seat. His voice was commanding with a hefty shot of disapproval. "What's this about. Hill?" 

Rhodes visibly bristled at her side as the woman replied. "If you would take a seat, Mr. Rogers, all will be explained."

"It's Captain Rogers, Hill." The blond narrowed his eyes, his frown deepening. "I really think that the chain of command ought to be kept clear here, seeing as I hadn't been informed of this meeting until this morning."

"And it's Colonel Rhodes to you, Private." Rhodes growled. "And as a higher ranking officer, I am ordering you to sit down, shut the fuck up and wait for Hill to brief you. Besides, if you really want to nitpick, then you should address her as Director Hill since she is on record as the Head of the Avengers Initiative."

Rogers blinked and, after a touch on the arm from Romanov, finally sat down. The rest of the Avengers were frowning now, shifting in their seats as they stared at the newcomers. Hill cleared her throat, calmly introducing each of the visitors seated at the table and informing them that the meeting would be recorded and transcribed. 

Sandy gave the woman kudos for remaining so calm. It had only been a few minutes and he was already sick to death of these so-called heroes attitudes. He could see Logan out of the corner of his eye, leaning against the wall at Xavier's back, chewing on an unlit cigar, an expression of utter disdain on his face. Sanderson snorted softly, shifting from his own stance behind Wendy. 

Romanov was the first to cut down to the brass tacks, leaning forward with an earnest look on her face. "So what's this really about Maria?" 

Hill looked like she bit into something sour at the familiarity, but seemed to swallow it down, her voice flat and without affect. "It's about consequences, Agent Romanov. All actions have consequences."

The redhead seemed taken aback by the curt tone but, with a glance at a scowling Captain, tried again. "Oh, and what specific actions are you speaking of?"

Rhodes replied before anyone else could, his jaw clenched painfully around his words. "We're talking about letting in a fox in the henhouse. About letting a known enemy in the gates. It's about letting a known fucking Hydra operative waltz around here like they own the place because they batted their pretty brown eyes. This is about embracing the cancer that's literally killing you." 

"This is about Wanda?" Romanov tilted her head as the girl in question scowled at them even as she clutched closer to Vision. 

"I am not like cancer." she hissed softly, her voice almost drowned out by Rogers' far more vocal protest.

"Wanda's reformed. Besides, she was just a kid. And just who do you think you are, coming in here like this? Thinking you can even attempt to pass judgment on her. She's an avenger now." 

Rhodes gave a grin that was more like a skull's. He ticked off his fingers. "First of all, we have solid evidentiary proof that Maximoff here joined both HYDRA and ULTRON willingly with her brother. All we have is your say so that she's been reformed. There have been no evaluations, debriefings or hearings on that matter and frankly, your word doesn't mean shit to me."

"Secondly, she isn't technically an Avenger just because you say she is. Captain America's word isn't the same as proper documentation and she's on a temporary provisional visa and technically can't hold a job in this country or on this team. The only reason we've all been letting it slide is because Stark Legal has been pushing the paperwork through on her behalf. That stopped this morning and since her home country of Sokovia has just finished revoking her citizenship on grounds of her being a HYDRA terrorist, it means that she's now a witch without a country. And therefore not an official Avenger."

Rhodes pointed a finger at Romanov before she could retort. "Even Thor had papers registered on his behalf as an ambassador to Midgard. SHIELD had all that shit set up from the very beginning or did you think they didn't know to cross the t's and dot the I's back then." He jerked a thumb towards where Strange sat comfortably. "As to passing judgment, the Sorcerer Supreme here is the one to talk about that."

Rogers slammed his hand on the table, small cracks appearing in the tempered glass. "Wanda isn't a terrorist. She's just a kid who fell in with a bad crowd. She's learned from it and moved on. If this is some kind of revenge plot by Tony, I don't appreciate it…" 

"Fuck you Rogers." Rhodes snapped. "Leave Tony out of this. this is about you letting a fucking Nazi unto the team. And here I thought Captain America punched Nazis. I guess that was all propaganda bullshit right? I'd have never taken you for a Hydra Sympathizer."

Sanderson muttered 'oh shit' under his breath as both men stood from their chairs, facing down over the large meeting table. His wand slipped into his hand smoothly, ready and alert if Wendy felt the need to call on him. The tension of the room grew heavy, both men staring sparks at each other. 

Out of the corner of his eyes he could see the witch hunched over, her hands starting to glow red. The other members of the team were tense, poised in their chairs as if ready to spring into action.

"I can't control other people's fears." her voice carried through the room, her hair hanging over to cover most of her face. 

"But you can use those fears to control people. Manipulate them." Strange responded, drawing the room's attention. "Whether or not you do it consciously or unconsciously, it is no little concern. What matters is that you cease to do so immediately.

Maximoff gave them a sly little smile from behind her hair. "And you think you can stop me?"

Strange nodded. "I know I can."

"You think you can control me?" Her smile turned into a sneer.

Rogers stepped toward her. "Wanda. I won't let them hurt you. Tony has no right…"

"For fuck's sake Rogers…" Rhodes groaned. "Will you give that shit a rest. Tony has nothing to do with this, other than being one of her victims. Did she tell you about that? Did she tell you what she made him see? Did she tell you her part in creating ULTRON?"

A short dirty blond man snorted from his seat, speaking up for the first time. The Archer. "Oh please, Stark made ULTRON all by himself, everyone knows that."

"No. Everybody doesn't know that, Barton." Rhodes rolled his eyes so hard, Sandy thought that the man would be able to see his own brain. "Not if they read the ULTRON report like the rest of the world has to find out what really happened. Jesus. Grow a fucking brain and get with the program. Besides, aren't you supposed to be retired? What are you even doing here?"

"Never mind all that." Rogers interrupted. "No one is taking Wanda and that's final."

"Fortunately, you don't have the final say." Hill cut in mercilessly. "The Avengers Initiative is still privately owned by Stark Industries and as appointed Director, I have the final… and legal say." 

Rogers sputtered at that, his face flushing in anger. Both Romanov and the one known as Falcon began protesting while Barton fumed. Maximoff hands began glowing brighter and Sanderson glanced at Strange, taking a deep breath as he saw his hands glowing gold under the table, a faint outline of the seals along the walls glowing golden. Wendy showed no outward signs of distress so Sanderson held himself in check. 

"She's one of us! She's an Avenger."

"She's a Nazi and needs to face the music for her crimes."

"She's a kid. She doesn't deserve this."

"Christ. She's either an Avenger and is grown enough to take responsibility for her own actions or she's a kid and you've been sending out a child soldier unto the field. You can't have both. Pick one!"

Rogers' fist came down once more, cracking the table further. "I won't let you crucify her!"

"She's not Barnes."

"What?" Rogers went pale and staggered back in the sudden silence of the room.

"She's not the same as Sergeant Barnes." Xavier repeated, his clear eyes meeting the blond's squarely. "Redeeming Miss Maximoff of her HYDRA past will not set a precedent for the Winter Soldier's case in the future."

Rogers' collapsed into his chair like he'd been shot in the chest, his teammates frozen around him. Falcon was the first to recover, shaking his head as he looked to his esteemed leader. 

"Uh. What the fuck is he talking about? Steve?" 

The blond's mouth moved but no sound came from him. beside him, Romanov slowly sat back down, her sharp and calculating eyes on Xavier. "And how did you know about that Professor Xavier?"

Well, that answered the question of if Xavier was telling the truth. Sanderson could here Logan huffing around his cigar and bit back his own rueful smirk. Rogers still looked like a beached fish, the rug pulled out completely from under him. Merlin, Xavier had caught a real bulls eye with that revelation about whoever this Winter Soldier was. 

With her staunchest supporter temporarily stymied and the rest of her team out of sorts, attention fell to Maximoff once more. Strange, looking almost bored at proceedings so far, finally spoke up.

"Wanda Maximoff, you have been found guilty of the crime of abuse of magic and have thus been sentenced to have this magic stripped from you. "

"You can't take her power from her." Barton protested hotly." It's not her fault she can't control it. She had no one to teach her"

Strange just raised a skeptical eye. "Oh, and the years she spent experimenting under HYDRA's command didn't teach her anything? I supposed the scars I see spread along your psyches can be excused because she didn't do it on purpose? Especially you Mr. Barton, I suppose you can shrug off the deep mental fissures she's entrenched in your mind on top of the dame done by Loki of Asgard but I cannot stand by and see harm being done."

"What?" Barton flinched back. "My… my mind?" He gave Maximoff a horrified glance.

Romanov reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder, glaring at the young woman. "She's been in our minds? She's been controlling us?"

"I haven't. He's lying." Maximoff gave a good show at being the victim. "And if I did, I didn’t mean it. I can't control it."

Sanderson almost laughed out loud at the about face things had took. Now all of the Avengers were looking at the Scarlet Witch in doubt. He shook his head at them all. Bunch of wishy-washy hypocrites. 

Maximoff looked to each of her team mates, face falling as she found none of the support shed been accustomed too. Finally she looked to the Vision, only to find him staring back at her disspasionatley. 

"Vis…" she mewled softly, clutching at his bicep. "You're not going to let them hurt me are you?"

"I believe there is a time that we all must face our own deeds." The android looked down at his hands, the gem in his forehead losing its glow. "I also know that you have experienced much suffering and pain because of your powers and show no signs of improvement in your control now effort to obtain such. Maybe it is for the best that you are relived of this burden."

She yanked herself away from him, her face horrified. "What? No. My power is who I am. My power is what helped me survive when Stark tried to kill me and my brother. When he killed my parents. How can i protect myself from him? I am nothing without my power."

"God, not this shit again." Rhodes huffed but Maximoff went on like she didn't even hear him. Sandy absently wondered if she even remembered that there were others in the room.

"My powers gave me a home. They keep my family close. What will I be if I'm alone? who will love me? Who will care for me? I can't lose this again. I don't care what I have to do. I will not let you take them from me."

Her hands started glowing brighter, swirling around her ominously. Sandy saw the gold runes glow brighter in turn, the odd, heavy magic of it pressing down on all around him. He tensed against the discomfort and trusted Strange's runes. The man knew what he was doing. He hoped. Well, he trusted Wendy anyway and she trusted Strange. 

He still palmed his wand though. 

Then, for just a moment of two, things went pear-shaped. Then they didn't.

Maximoff lost her shit. Tried to fricassee them all with her weird powers. Strange's runes absorbed her surge and held her fast as the Sorcerer Supreme and Wong stripped her powers. The rest of the Avengers rose to either defend her or flee and were dropped in their places when her power suddenly snapped from their minds. 

After that, all that was left was the mop up.

Sobbing and muttering to herself, a now powerless Maximoff was placed in secured holding. There would be plenty of time to fight over jurisdiction and custody now. Strange, the Monks and Xavier all accompanied the comatose Avengers to the Medical wing for healing while Hill and Rhodes took care of reporting to the no-maj Powers That Be. Wendy was busy with her own comprehensive report to MACUSA and the ICW.

That left Sanderson to hen peck his way through his own report, growling at his crappy typewriter and guzzling shitty office coffee. He also made a recommendation for Strange to head over to Stark's place to check his brain for scaring but it turned out Rhodes was way ahead of him there; heading over to his BFF's pad with Strange and a lost looking Vision in tow. 

Sanderson just grinned and pulled out his signed, custom IRONMAN stark phone and sent a certain red head a text. It was always good to have a heads up. 

That night, as he was eating take out in his shirt sleeves, he got an answering text followed by a string of emojis. It read. "Thanks. I owe you one."

He smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that wraps that up. i could go on and on about how i hate MCU scarlet witch and how the avengers did so wrong in that whole situation but that would just make me mad so i won't. i'm just gonna leave this here and live my life.

**Author's Note:**

> ok. wow. this will be my 80th work on AO3. so proud of myself. i was planning to write something else but this plot bunny just popped up and started humping my leg.


End file.
